Travel observations and new developments of other cities and countries

[Rick Dalton]

Very nice, the hope is that something equally impressive anchors the Reed district

[Mr_Bond]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:17 PM, Bark At The Sun said:

Nice shots of downtown Mobile! I was born in Gulfport MS and grew up spending summers down there...........Ive always thought, that if not for taking the brunt of a major hurricane every 15-20 years, it would be close to the size of Mobile.   

@markhollin, did you visit Mobile for these pics?  I was born and raised there and still have family in the area.  Mobile benefited from the New Orleans diaspora from Hurricane Katrina.

@Bark At The Sun, my wife grew up in Long Beach, MS, and her parents still live there.  They can tell lots of hurricane stories: preparation, devastation, recovery, resiliency.  The loss of the historic homes along the coast to Hurricane Katrina was very sad.  We go down for visits several times a year.

[markhollin]

Just now, Mr_Bond said:

@markhollin, did you visit Mobile for these pics?  I was born and raised there and still have family in the area.  Mobile benefited from the New Orleans diaspora from Hurricane Katrina.

Found these shots on the internet.  I've been to Mobile---but it's been well over a decade. 

[Bark At The Sun]

On 11/8/2021 at 3:10 PM, Mr_Bond said:

@Bark At The Sun, my wife grew up in Long Beach, MS, and her parents still live there.  They can tell lots of hurricane stories: preparation, devastation, recovery, resiliency.  The loss of the historic homes along the coast to Hurricane Katrina was very sad.  We go down for visits several times a year.

Hello again Mr. Bond.  I was born right before Camille hit, and that hurricane flooded our house on Fournier Ave., about 3 blocks off Hwy 90.   My dad was in the Air Force over at Keesler AFB at the time, and we relocated to Alcoa afterwards.......(my dad) grew up in Sevierville.   My grandfather owned a newspaper/book store in Gulfport, Jordan's News Stand,  up until the late 70's.............he let me have a bunch of publications about the storm, the coast, before and after photos etc. and i still have them.     That area rebuilt nicely after Camille, but even 15 years after Katrina, you still see many empty lots and concrete pads down on the coast today.

My favorite speckled trout fishing and flounder gigging grounds are around Long Beach and Pass Christian.   I need to get back down there soon.   

Edited November 10, 2021 by Bark At The Sun

[Mr_Bond]

Those are amazing, @Bark At The Sun!  As soon as the roads were cleared (about two weeks post-Camille) my dad took us over the Coast.  I remember seeing those two ocean freightors sitting on the sand.  To see that picture today brings back a lot of memories!

My in-laws are half a block from the beach.  They did not get water from Camille but Katrina put six feet of water in their first floor.  They used to be the eighth house from the beach and are now the second.  Their homeowners policy did not cover flooding so they had to spend their own money to buy materials to rebuild.  Some Amish men from Pennsylvania provided the labor to rebuild.  They do great work.

[markhollin]

Chattanooga:

[markhollin]

San Francisco's proposed One Oak Tower, 41 stories, 436', 465 units (courtesy of YIMBY San Francisco):

[chris holman]

NYC 

[markhollin]

Miami's proposed Okan Tower: 79 stories, 902', 163 condos, 236 condo-hotel residences, 316 room Hilton Hotel (courtesy of YIMBY Florida):

[markhollin]

Stockholm, Sweden:

[markhollin]

Rendering s and work on Manhattan's 1165 Madison Ave: 13 stories, 210', 12 condos at 4,900 sq. ft. each, ground level retail (courtesy of YIMBY New York):

[markhollin]

A San Jose, CA proposal  for 201 West Julian: 18 story mass timber, 313 units (courtesy of YIMBY Bay Area):

[markhollin]

Time lapse video of brand new UBS Arena construction on Long Island, NY:

 

[markhollin]

Philadelphia's proposed 33 North 22nd in City Center West, 328' tall, 29 stories, 341 residential units, garage (courtesy of YIMBY Philadelphia):

[markhollin]

Chicago's iconic Marina City Tower One u.c. in 1964:
 

[nashville born]

^^^The Hunter!!!

[markhollin]

Kansas City:

[BnaBreaker]

1 hour ago, markhollin said:

Kansas City:

Such an underrated city, KC is.  Great food, great people, and the urban bones and cultural amenities of a much larger city.  The only real drawback in my opinion is that it is relatively isolated from other places.  

[donNdonelson2]

Lots to love about Kansas City. I’ve mentioned it on this forum before, but it merits repeating-one of my favorite unexpected treats of a museum is KC’s Arabia Steamboat Museum. If you’re ever in the area, add this one to your must see list!

1856.com

(Plus, Kansas City has more fountains than Rome!)

 

[markhollin]

Chicago's proposed Cirrus One, 76 stories, 950', Lakeshore East development, ground breaking next year (courtesy of YIMBY Chicago):

[markhollin]

Renderings for Manhattan's new Penn Station; 450' long terminal next to Madison Square Garden (courtesy of YIMBY New York):

 

[markhollin]

How Austin, TX became one of the least affordable cities in America:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/11/29/how-austin-one-of-the-least-affordable-cities.html

[markhollin]

Panama City, Panama.  Population 1.9 million:

[MontanaGuy]

3 hours ago, markhollin said:

Panama City, Panama.  Population 1.9 million:

 

I almost retired there in 2006.  I got all of the documentation which was a lot of work, talked to an immigration lawyer and was looking at condos with a realtor.  I could have gotten a new modern 3 bedroom unit with views of the ocean for $86,000!  I backed out in the last couple of days due to the climate which was very hot and humid and the language barrier and the feeling that I didn't know if I'd fit into that culture.  It's a very impressive city though, without a doubt! 

[Mr_Bond]

1 hour ago, MontanaGuy said:

I almost retired there in 2006.  I got all of the documentation which was a lot of work, talked to an immigration lawyer and was looking at condos with a realtor.  I could have gotten a new modern 3 bedroom unit with views of the ocean for $86,000!  I backed out in the last couple of days due to the climate which was very hot and humid and the language barrier and the feeling that I didn't know if I'd fit into that culture.  It's a very impressive city though, without a doubt! 

When considering an expat retirement, it is wise to review the tax relationship with the U.S.  Panama is not the best in this area.  Costa Rica is fantastic.  Mexico is quite good.  Ireland can be a pain at your passing.

There are various aspects to the financial decision?  How are withdrawals from Roth IRAs treated?  What are the inheritance taxes and laws?  Do you need to spend a certain number of days each year out of country in order to keep the taxes low?  And much more.